The walls tell stories. On the clay palaces of Abomey, in southern Benin, painted bas-reliefs show lions, sharks, warriors, battles and symbols of royal power. Each king of Dahomey added his own palace and his own symbols to the complex. Together they form one of the most important historic sites in West Africa, a record of a kingdom that ruled the region for more than two centuries.
Dahomey and its palaces
Dahomey rose in the seventeenth century with its capital at Abomey and became one of the most powerful states in West Africa. Successive kings built palaces within a royal enclosure. The complex grew to cover a large area with courtyards, temples and residences. The bas-reliefs, made of earth and painted, depict royal symbols, animals and scenes from history and legend. They served as a visual record of each reign.
King Ghezo was associated with the buffalo, and King Glele with the lion. King Béhanzin, the last independent king, was associated with a shark.
The Agojie and the French conquest
Dahomey was known for its corps of female soldiers, the Agojie, which inspired the film The Woman King. France conquered Dahomey in the early 1890s. As French forces approached in 1892, Béhanzin set fire to parts of the palaces rather than let them fall intact. The palaces were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. A tornado damaged the site in 1984, and it was placed on the list of World Heritage in Danger before conservation work improved its condition.
Part of the palace complex is now a historical museum displaying thrones, weapons and royal objects.
Looted treasures, the slave trade and visiting
French troops took royal treasures in 1892. Some were returned to Benin in 2021. Dahomey’s wealth was tied to the Atlantic slave trade, a painful part of its history. Abomey is a few hours from Cotonou and is a key stop for visitors to Benin. Earth buildings require constant maintenance, and conservation remains an ongoing effort. Traditional ceremonies linked to the former royal family still take place in Abomey.
Vodun shrines remain part of Abomey’s religious life. The kings of Dahomey wrote their history on clay walls. The walls are fragile, but they have outlasted the kingdom and the empire that conquered it.
